'Socialist' Chavez gave poor dignity

Malcolm X said, "In America they will make you think the criminal is the victim, and the victim is the criminal." That is certainly true of American history and so true of the great Hugo Chavez who died earlier this month.

He was demonized and hated by some people in this country. The hatred was invariably demonstrated by Maria Conchito Alonso who said, "I prefer him alive, with cancer and in prison." These barbaric comments were something that President Hugo Chavez stood up to during his 14-year reign.

He was of the same legacy as Che Guevera, Malcolm X, Fidel Castro, Dr. Martin Luther King and Paul Robeson, saying no to the brutal, racist and exploitative policies of the U.S. He was the "dreaded socialist" who instituted land reforms for the poor, and nationalized industries so that companies in the west were stopped from being a parasite on Venezuela's impoverished. His administration saw poverty at 48 percent in 2002 decline to 29 percent in 2011. Unlike this country, he treated the poor with respect and dignity, and did not call them "lazy." He knew they were victims of imperialism from this country.

He provided oil for poor families in this country at way below market prices; he was a humanitarian the world around. Jesse Jackson eulogized Chavez as "... a man that fed the hungry, lifted the poor, and raised their hopes." Rest well, President Chavez, for a job well done.

Clifford Jackson

Larchmont

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'Socialist' Chavez gave poor dignity

Re 'Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, dies of cancer,' March 6 article:Malcolm X said, 'In America they will make you think the criminal is the victim, and the victim is the criminal.' That is

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